Lit Terms 31-55

1. Contrast: a rhetorical device by which one element (idea or object) is thrown into opposite to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity
2. Denoument: loose ends tied up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion
3. Dialect: the language of a particular dictrict, class or group of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others.
4. Dialectics: formal debates usually over the nature of truth
5. Dichotomy: split or break between two opposing things
6. Diction: the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words
7. Didactic: having to do with the transmission of information; education
8. Dogmatic: rigid in beliefs and principals
9. Epic: a long narrative poem unified by a hero who reflects the customs, mores, and aspirations of his nation of race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time (definition bordering on circumlocution)
10. Epigram: witty aphorism
11. Epitaph: any brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone; a short formal poem of commemoration often a credo written by the person who wishes it to be on his tombstone
12. Epithet: a short, descriptive name or phrase that may insult someone’s character, characteristics
13. Euphemism: the use of an indirect, mild or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt
14. Evocative (evocation): a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality
15. Exposition: beginning of a story that sets forth facts, ideas, and/or characters, in a detailed explanation
16. Expressionism: movement in art, literature, and music consisting of unrealistic representation of an inner idea or feeling(s).
17. Fable: a short, simple story, usually with animals as characters, designed to teach a moral truth
18. Falling Action: part of the narrative or drama after the climax
19. Farce: a boisterous comedy involving ludicrous action and dialogue
20. Figurative Language: apt and imaginative language characterized by figures of speech (such as metaphor and simile)
21. Flashback: a narrative device that flashes back to prior events
22. Foil: a person or thing that, by contrast, makes another seem better or more prominent
23. Folk Tale: story passed on by word of mouth
24. Foreshadowing: in fiction and drama, a device to prepare the reader for the outcome of the action; “planning” to make the outcome convincing, though not to give it away
25. Free Verse: verse without conventional metrical pattern, with irregular pattern or no rhyme